Undergraduate Research
Are you interested in undergraduate research but uncertain about how to begin? Take the first step by completing the form linked below. The Herb Innovation Center (THInC) is dedicated to assisting you in finding your pathway into the realm of undergraduate research. Upon submission, our team will promptly follow up with you to provide guidance on the next steps.
Undergraduate Research Request for Information
5M Research Competition
We are excited to announce the launch of the Undergraduate 5M Research Competition, an initiative by THInC designed to foster greater engagement in campus undergraduate research endeavors. In collaboration with the esteemed graduate 3M competition, this bi-annual event offers undergraduates the opportunity to showcase their ideas in concise, dynamic presentations lasting no more than 5 minutes.
Why compete? Participating in this competition not only provides a platform to earn monetary rewards but also enhances your resume and cultivates invaluable skills in research and communication.
What is it? The Undergraduate 5M Research Competition invites you to present your ideas using just one PowerPoint slide, tailored for a non-specialist audience.
- Option 1 – Early track: Present a research project idea (i.e., no data, results or conclusions yet). Present a compelling research project idea, focusing on its conceptual framework without delving into data or conclusions.
- Option 2 – Late track: Present research that includes results and conclusions. Present research incorporating results and conclusions. Utilize data from previous or ongoing class projects to compete in this track.
What do I need to do? Go to THInC's 3M/5M page for comprehensive rules and registration details.
We look forward to your participation and the innovative ideas you bring forth. Together, let's elevate the undergraduate research landscape on our campus!
Featured faculty mentors
THInC offers valuable connections to esteemed faculty mentors, a selection of whom is listed below. Engaging in mentorship represents a significant opportunity for students to deepen their educational experience and receive steadfast support throughout their academic and professional journey. Mentors serve as invaluable guides, providing indispensable advice, encouragement, and resources to help students realize their fullest potential. Contact THInC today to initiate the process of connecting with a faculty mentor in your field of interest.
- Colleen Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Exploring the complex and interactional role the context of a classroom, school, district or state plays in how teachers and students experience teaching and learning social studies in grades 6-12. Within this, she has a particular focus on how teachers teach and students learn about religion in social studies classrooms. - Lynne Hamer, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Historical foundations of education/historical intersections between schooling and marginalized populations; life writing/educational biography and oral history
- Edward Janak, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Historical foundations of education/historical intersections between schooling and marginalized populations; life writing/educational biography and oral history; pop culture/mass culture and education - Natasha Johnson, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Chemistry education; multicultural science education; STEM interest, access, and persistence - Revathy Kumar Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Social and cultural processes involved in constructing a sense of self and identity among adolescents and young adults in culturally diverse societies, the role of teachers, teacher-education programs, schools, communities, and families in facilitating minority and immigrant adolescents’ development, learning, and motivation - Sekhar Pindiprolu, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Teaching and learning strategies, computer-assisted instruction, designing instruction, program evaluations - Dale T. Snauwaert, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Justice, education for peace and justice, democracy, democratic education - Robert A. Schultz, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Gifted/Talented education; Social and Emotional Needs; Creativity; Curriculum Theory and Philosophical Foundations of Education; Assessment and Evaluation; Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research Methods; Parents and Parenting
- Mark Templin, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Science instruction, science teacher education, activity theory - Falynn Thompson, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Components of whiteness in education, scale development and validation, antiracist pedagogy - Michael Toland, Ph.D.
Areas of research interest: Sense of belonging, developing surveys, undergraduate research, applied statistics, applied measurement
SUPPLEMENTAL WRITING SUPPORT FOR JHCOE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS
The Herb Innovation Center provides free supplemental writing support to all students within the Judith Herb College of Education (JHCOE). We offer 30-minute writing sessions for coursework assignments and other academic-related tasks to enhance students’ educational experience. The writing support is not a replacement for any support provided by the University of Toledo Writing Center or faculty teaching courses or mentoring students on various projects (e.g., Thesis, Dissertation). The writing support is purely supplemental (see type of Support Supplemental writing support below). Students should first seek out writing support provided by their primary faculty (i.e., their faculty mentor/advisor or course instructor) and the Writing Center before seeking out supplemental writing support offered by the Herb Innovation Center. To sign up for a FREE 30-minute writing support session, please email Dr. Falynn Thompson (Falynn.Thompson@utoledo.edu).
The type of supplemental writing support offered to JHCOE students through The Herb Innovation Center include:
- Brainstorming topics and ideas for writing projects
- Improving writing style (e.g., clarity, flow, etc.)
- Assistance with following the 7th edition of the APA publication manual
- Help with punctuation, spelling, and grammar
- Final editing
Resources
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2014). They say / I say: The moves that matter in academic writing (3rd ed.). Norton & Company, Inc.
Strunk, W. & White, E. B. (1999). The elements of style (4th ed.). Pearson.
Office of Undergraduate Research
The Office of Undergraduate Research provided an overview for students interested in exploring research opportunities.